Shoe-lace fastener



' (No Model.) l

A.. C. MURDDCK.

SHOE LAGE FASTENER. No. 376,041. Patented Jan. 3, 1888.

UNITED l STATES PATENT OEEICE..

ADNA O. MURDOCK, OF DEDHAM, ASSIGNOR -OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH H.

BEALE, OF BOSTON, ,MASSACHUSETTS SHOE-LACE FAS-TENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 376,041, dated January 3, 1888.

Application iiled October 13,1887. Serial No. 252,284. (No model.) l

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ADNA O. MURDooK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dedham, in the county of Norfolk andState of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Boot or Shoe'Lacings, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention consists in devices,in combination with an ordinary shoe-string,whereby a boot or shoe may be expeditiously and effectually laced by the use of only one string, ashereinafter set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims. l

In the drawings, Figure l shows a boot provided with a lacing embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows a part of the lacing drawn on a larger scale, the finger-piece C and the holdfast D being in section. Fig. 3 shows modifications. v

At one end of the string A, of ordinary material and size and of the required length, l X a guard, B. This guard is of the form of a lcross-bar, which may be thrust endwise, throughan eyelet, and thereafter may take a position transverse to the eyelet, and thus prevent the end of the string from being withdrawn through the eyelet. A simple and ef'-` fective way of combining such guard or crossbar with the string is to make ahole, a, through the string, provided with the ordinary metallic tip, a short distance from/the tip, and then thrust the latter about half its length into this hole, as shown; but the guard may be otherwise formed and fastened to the string. It may be awire bent around thc string near the end thereof and pinched thereon, so as to form a crossbar, as shown at B in Fig. 3. At the other end of the string Ifasten a finger-piece, O, which may be in the form ofan ornamental pendant, and should be of sufficient size to assist in getting a good hold by the fingers on the string to draw it taut. The piece C may be fastened to the string by making a tapering hole therein and tying a knot, b, in the string, which is drawn into the hole, as shown.

On the string I place a holdfast, D. This is preferably of the form whereby it has a part or head, c, which may be conveniently held by the fingers, and a shank, d, throughwhich is a hole and which hasapointed end, e. The lacing when apart from the boot or shoe forms a complete article in itself for packing and to be ready for use, the 'holdfast having been placed on the string by thrusting the guardB eudwise through the hole in the shank.

For use the holdfast D is first removed from the string. The guard B and end of string thereat is then put through an eyelet,f, at the upper part of the boot or shoe, then through the hole in the shank of the' holdfast, back through the same eyelet, through eyelets, and.'

around buttons or hooks, as shown, and as is common, until the eyelet g is reached, which is the lowest place of fastening. After hav-,65

ing been thrust through this eyelet, this endA of the string and the guard B will be within the boot or shoe. The guard B is then set as a cross-bar to prevent the string from being withdrawn. By pulling on the string by the holdfast and the loop formed outsideof the eyeletf the string is drawn taut, and by pulling on the string by means of the finger-piece C the holdfast is drawn to and the pointed end of its shank into the eyelet f in such a manner as to prevent the string from slipping. Thus with one string the boot or shoe is laced in a simpler manner, more securely, and so as to present a better appearance than by the from the fact that it is in part withintheloop of thestring at the eyelet f and cannot be drawn through the eyelet.- The shape shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is partly for appearance, having the outward semblance of a button. It might, however, take other forms-as, for instance, that of a simple ring, as shown at D in Fig. 3. By passing the string through the eyeletf, then through the ring D', and back through the eyelet, a portion of the ring will be in the loop formed at the eyelet, and the string when drawn tautwill be pinched and bound at the eyelet.

y I claim as my invention-n 1. The combination of a string, A, guard B, fastened to the string 'at one end thereof, and holdfast D, having a head, c, and shank d,

provided with u hole transverse to the shank, l Within a loop of the string at an eyelet of a substantially as and for the purposes set forth. boot or shoe bind the string, substantially as 2. The combination of a string, A, a fnspecified. ger-piece, C, fixed to the string at one end ADNA G. MURDOCK. thereof, a guard, B, adapted to operate as a, I Witnesses: cross-bar, xed at the other end of the string, l). S. YOUNG, and a holdfast, D, which muy bylying partly EDW. DUMMER. 

